The influence of millimeter waves on the physical properties of large and giant unilamellar vesicles

Exposure of cell membranes to an electromagnetic field (EMF) in the millimeter wave band (30–300 GHz) can produce a variety of responses. Further, many of the vibrational modes in complex biomolecules fall in the 1–100 GHz range. In addition to fundamental scientific interest, this may have applications in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic medical applications. In the present work, lipid vesicles of different size were used to study the effects of exposure to radiation at 52–72 GHz, with incident power densities (IPD) of 0.0035–0.010 mW/cm², on the chemical-physical properties of cell membranes. Large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) were used to study the effect of the radiation on the physical stability of vesicles by dynamic light scattering. An inhibition of the aging processes (Ostwald ripening), which usually occur in these vesicles because of their thermodynamic instability, resulted. Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) were used to study the effect of the radiation on membrane water permeability under osmotic stress by phase contrast microscopy. In this case, a decrease in the water membrane permeability of the irradiated samples was observed. We advance the hypothesis that both the above effects may be explained in terms of a change of the polarization states of water induced by the radiation, which causes a partial dehydration of the membrane and consequently a greater packing density (increased membrane rigidity).